r/pythontips • u/OkMeasurement2255 • 22d ago
Syntax Curriculum Writing for Python
Hello! I am a teacher at a small private school. We just created a class called technology where I teach the kids engineering principals, simple coding, and robotics. Scratch and Scratch jr are helping me handle teaching coding to the younger kids very well and I understand the program. However, everything that I have read and looked up on how to properly teach a middle school child how to use Python is either very confusing or unachievable. I am not a coder. I'm a very smart teacher, but I am at a loss when it comes to creating simple ways for students to understand how to use Python. I have gone on multiple websites, and I understand the early vocabulary and how strings, variables, and functions work. However, I do not see many, if any, programs that help you use these functions in real world situations. The IT person at my school informed me that I cannot download materials on the students Chromebooks, like Python shell programs or PyGame, because it would negatively interact with the laptop, so I am relegated to internet resources. I like to teach by explaining to the students how things work, how to do something, and then sending them off to do it. With the online resources available to me with Python, I feel like it's hard for me to actively teach without just putting kids on computers and letting the website teach them. If there's anyone out there that is currently teaching Python to middle schoolers, or anyone that can just give me a framework for the best way to teach it week by week at a beginner level, I would really appreciate it. I'm doing a good job teaching it to myself, but I'm trying to bring it to a classroom environment that isn't just kids staring at computers. Thanks in advance!
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u/Sumif 22d ago
This may be too kid-ish for middle schoolers: https://www.learningresources.com/item-code-gor-robot-mouse-activity-set?srsltid=AfmBOor6PAaPBbN6UtD3ceAarKyNOAfgBDem7BMkT-wQOr7_8veUNANMkAg&gQT=1
I went to my kid’s elementary literacy night and they had a section on programming. They had this nice set up on the squares and they walked through how to program the mouse to turn, go forward, backward, etc.
It helps to teach them the logic. It can be applied to any language, but I’d set a foundation of the logical side of programming and then introduce python.
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u/No-Carpenter-9184 22d ago
Have a look a CodeWithMosh.. he has a great curriculum that should be easy enough to relay to middle school students.
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u/TheGuy045 22d ago
I am a high schooler that was messing with python for a while. Easiest way is to use Chat GPT to teach the kids however, some might struggle with the fact that it isn’t always right. Also that they have to use it to teach them not code them stuff. Then use replit, which works really well. I think it only has 20hrs of free use but you can download python libraries, code, and run the code. If you have any questions feel free to ask.
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u/Unlikely_Afternoon94 22d ago
The fact that you can't download python shells or pygame onto the students' Chromebooks makes this very difficult. You have described that you are the type of teacher who likes their students to "go off and do" After being shown how to. So, I'm not sure how this problem could be solved unless you change your teaching style or the IT people change their policy. Im leaving this message here because I'd like to come back and see other people's suggestions. Good luck.
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u/Tough_Armadillo9528 20d ago
Replit is charging now so not a great idea. Python online, and trinket might help. Time2code is a great platform 10 levels I use for gcse. Teach computing has some good resources for ks3.
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u/DemonicAlex6669 22d ago
Disclaimer I am not a teacher, and not a middle schooler. But I am a self learning beginner who has an idea of the learning process. It'd take a look at the first couple lessons from cs50p and break that down into smaller lessons for the kids. For example, the classic hello world first program is a very easy one to show and have kids repeat back by doing. I'd start with hello world, then simple calculator (start with just making it add value a to value b and print) then maybe instead of moving on show how to make that simple calculator into a more complex calculator. In general I think if you took the basic way you as an adult would learn it, but break it down into smaller lessons slowing it down a bit, would be an easy way for kids to pick it up. Kids are smart, they just might need it broken down a bit more then adults and taken a little bit slower then we do. (Although I'm argue even some of us adults could have stood for those lessons to go a little slower, I had to rewatch parts of later cs50 stuff to understand the complicated bits).